The Potential Penalty for Passing a Note
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Raffina tries to pass Amitie a card during class, but with the current seating arrangements, it proves very troublesome, especially when she's sitting next to an eager tattletale. Amitie/Raffina.


Femslash February 2020 Day 5: Note.

The Potential Penalty for Passing a Note

_This is bad. This is very, very bad, _Raffina thought, cracking her tense knuckles. The popping filled her ears and earned her a pointed glare from Klug, which she promptly ignored.

Of all the days for Amitie to sit by the window, she had to pick today. She just had to plop herself down in the seat farthest from Raffina. She was chatting up a storm with Lidelle, who sat in front of her and was showing Amitie pictures of butterflies from Suzuran. They marveled over a few shared species between Suzuran and Primp. Lidelle explained to her about wing mutations and genetics, which sailed over Raffina's head when she eavesdropped, and judging by Amitie's open-mouthed smile, she was experiencing the same stupefaction.

Though, she couldn't blame Amitie's choice in seating arrangements. She had been sluggish that morning, and it took her longer to finish her morning jog around Primp. With many minutes lost because of her poor pacing, she had hurried into class just as the bell rang. All of the other seats had been taken, leaving her to sit by the wall on the opposite side of the room. The wrench in her plan had been thrown by none other than Raffina, mistress of self-sabotage.

Homeroom started as she glared at the wall. She tried focusing on the posters plastered above her head, each of them encouraging students to study hard or practice Puyo in a safe environment. She blew at her bangs, the curls rolling back into her eyes as she gripped her chin, hunched forward on her desk, and squinted at the boy next to her.

With his squared shoulders and hint of a smile, Klug resembled a model student. Like a sponge to water, he absorbed Accord's lesson on Iron Puyos. He jotted down anything he didn't already know, the pressed sheets of his notebook looking whiter than snow until his cursive lettering marred the page.

She glanced at the corner of her desk when he caught her. Raffina fiddled with her pen and spun it between her fingers, feigning disinterest. Klug leveled his stare for a moment, and the slight shrug of his shoulders when he looked away made Raffina gnaw down on the inside of her mouth.

If only Amitie was next to her, then everything would have been going to plan. Slipping it on her desk or tucking it in her open palm, the choices were endless. Raffina nudged her notebook aside and stared at the fancy card decorated in golden ink and smelling of roses. She quickly hid it when Klug leered over at her, probably wondering why she was fidgeting so much, and she pursed her lips, wishing he would get up and fly somewhere far, far away.

He was the only person between her and Amitie. Considering the small size of Accord's classroom, six students and one teacher, she cursed herself for not squeezing her desk between Klug and Amitie. Even if she was a distraction and Accord snapped at her to stop, she could have tried, but she ended up sulking while Accord lectured about how super moves and how they could have possibly erased Iron Puyos, but her theory hadn't been tested.

"And with that in mind, I'll tell you the homework for tonight," Accord said, Raffina itching at a scab on her cheek, "Do exactly that! Play Puyo and use the Iron Puyo and super moves rulesets." She cast a smile at Arle, who was sitting in front of Raffina petting Carbuncle. "Now, Arle, you know how to use super moves, so I trust you to be my helper for today."

She bobbed her head up and down. Why couldn't she be the one sitting next to Raffina? She knew Arle would have gone with her plan in a heartbeat. Arle was a generous girl, if blunt with her wording and at times a bit cruel. She remembered when the mage first came to Primp, her sourpuss attitude earning her no friends among the Primp students. She had learned to ease her apprehension and lighten her criticism because of them, making her the perfect partner in her scheme.

If only that was the case with the bookworm sharpening his pencil next to her. He would never agree to her plan. If it meant breaking a rule in Accord's class, he'd gasp and clutch his metaphorical pearls. Not to mention that he would gleefully rat Raffina out in front of the entire class, leaving her cheeks to burn and anger to boil in her stomach.

But Arle suddenly stood up at Accord's gesture. Raffina straightened and watched Arle set Carbuncle on her desk and skip over to her. She accepted the short stack of papers, their contents unknown to Raffina, but as Arle approached her, an idea struck her fancy, and she broke into a smile.

As Arle handed her the paper, she snatched the card and tucked it between Arle's forefinger and thumb. Arle's eyes widened, and Raffina cocked her head at Amitie, mouthing the other girl's name. Confusion seized Arle's features, Raffina worrying if she had missed her intentions, but Arle nodded and slid the card underneath the papers.

Sighing, Raffina leaned back in her seat. She waved at Carbuncle when he turned around to watch Arle hand out the papers. Turning hers over, she smiled at the 90 emblazoned in red ink at the top of her test, a number sneered at by Klug when he ogled her paper.

"Oh, poor you. It must be hard being in the presence of a genius," Klug sneered, Arle handing Sig his test in front of him. He tapped his thumb on the 100 drawn with little stars in the zeroes. "How regretful, Raffina, especially since I know how hard you studied for that exam."

"Blow it out your behind, Klug. Gloating is for rubes," Raffina jeered, her confidence growing as Arle gave Lidelle her test.

As Lidelle shyly turned it over and broke into a grin, Klug smirked. "Would you really put those sentences together? For shame, Raffina. The irony is lost on you."

"There's nothing ineloquent with what I said." Raffina drummed her fingers on her forearms and looked past him. She sucked in a breath as Arle handed Amitie her test, the other girl's face a touch pale as she accepted it and raised her eyebrows at the card underneath it. Throwing a lock of bubblegum pink hair over her shoulder as Amitie inspected the card, she added, "Besides, arrogance is unbecoming and unfitting for pathetic, wriggly bookworms."

Klug blinked, surprise written on his face before his smirk etched into his cheeks. "Aren't you terrible today? If that's the case-" His hand shot up in the air. "-Arle is passing notes, Ms. Accord!"

Raffina's mouth flung open. Arle yelped, her shoulders hitching towards her earlobes. She skirted to a stop, Carbuncle cooing in confusion. Her eyes flashed with panic as she glanced at Raffina before managing an awkward smile in Accord's direction.

"I can plainly see that, Klug," Accord said, the corners of her mouth twisting downwards. She leered at Arle, who rubbed the back of her head as she sat down. "I'm surprised, Arle. You know I don't accept passing notes in my classroom."

"Well, uh, you know me." Arle dug her fingernails into her neck. "I'm a-I'm a regular rulebreaker. Back at my old school, I even broke into the liquor cabinet with my friends Camus and Lala!"

Her off color joke was met with stern disapproval, and Raffina clenched her fists. The slow shake of Accord's head made Arle bow her chin to her chestplate, Carbuncle offering meager comfort in quiet "gu's." Accord's heels clicked on the tiled floor as she approached Amitie and threw her hand out, the other girl keeping her grip tight on the card, Raffina watching with bug-eyed horror.

"Please hand that over, Amitie. We both know the rules," she said, looking over at Klug. "Klug, please remind Arle of it since it's clear she has forgotten."

"'Any note passed in class is subject to be read aloud because of the famous cheating fiasco from a decade ago,'" he recalled, Sig finally noticing he had been given his test. The abrupt sigh from the half-demon in front of him nicked his resolve, but he maintained his smirk as Arle grumbled to herself.

_This is worse! This is much, much worse! _Raffina thought, chewing on her collar. She grinded down on the soft material, her tongue shriveling in disgust. She screwed her eyes shut, sensing the gazes of her classmates as Accord demanded the note, her tone punctuated with anger. Wishing she had been patient, Raffina carved her fingernails into her palms, the pain preferable to the anxiety swelling in her heart.

"I won't."

She jerked her head up and blinked. Her spine cracked from the exertion.

Accord drew back at Amitie's answer. Perplexion made her pupils dilate. "Amitie," she began slowly and then sighed. "Amitie, I need the note."

"You don't," Amitie retorted, hugging the card to her chest. She furrowed her brows. "I'm not giving you it, Ms. Accord. It wouldn't be right." She shot her finger out and stood up, her oversized sneakers squeaking on the floor. "And if you try to make me fork it over, then it's Puyo Puyo time!"

Accord stared down at her with even grace. She tapped her cane to the floor, the silence deafening the other students. Even Sig, who had been sleeping minutes prior, was alert. Klug chewed off a fingernail, and Lidelle whimpered behind her long sleeves. Arle hugged Carbuncle, her eyes sparkling with confidence, the desire to cheer for her friend on the tip of her tongue.

But Raffina couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Her plan had been utterly foiled by her callous classmate and annoyed teacher, but Amitie fought for her. She wasn't even sure Amitie had fully read the card before deciding she was worth defending. But Raffina's lips trembled and eyes watered, stinging them as the room blurred. (She could have sworn she saw shame turning Klug's face crimson when he noticed her expression, but she assumed it was the lighting hitting his face in a strange way.)

"Is it that important?" Accord quietly asked, lowering her shoulders.

Amitie nodded. "It's super important. It's, like, the most super important card I've ever gotten!"

Exhaling a deep sigh, Accord smiled and said, "I understand. I apologize for putting you on the spot, Amitie."

"It's okay! I get'cha! That old cheating scandal rocked the school, so I understand, too," she chirped and flashed a toothy grin. She plopped back down, her hat wobbling with the sudden movement, and she glanced at Raffina. Raising a peace symbol, she stuck the card in her pocket and looked over her test, groaning when she saw her abysmal grade.

Raffina's cheeks glowed with their normal pink hue as she relaxed. She felt like she had just dipped herself into a warm bath and surrounded herself with calming incense. She closed her eyes and willed back her tears only to glare at Klug when he murmured her name.

He tugged at his collar. "I'm...sorry. You looked very, er, downtrodden." He flicked his gaze at her. "I didn't realize it was that important to you."

"I...suppose not," she whispered, Accord resuming her lesson. She shrugged. "No harm, no foul. Let's move on, shall we?"

Raffina applied those words like a cool salve and smiled over at Amitie. Catching her gaze, Amitie made a heart with her hands. Blushing, Raffina felt like she could have soared to Cloud Nine as she mimicked Amitie, Klug rolling his eyes between them. And the stinging pain of Accord's chalk slamming into the side of her head paled in comparison to the warmth blossoming in her chest, her feelings for Amitie returned tenfold.


End file.
